Time's a Changeling
by Calling-Cujo
Summary: Changelings have, for the longest time, been subject to scorn and ridicule by the general population of Equestria. This is all about to change, however, when a young Changeling named Nettlefang disputes the sovereign rule of the mysterious "Night Mistress" along with his mother, Chrysalis. When ostracized, they appeal to Celestia for peace, but the Night Mistress has other plans...
1. Chapter 1

**Time's a changeling**

(A/N: This is my first story in a while, since I've been really busy with other things, but unfortunately any of my other stories I've made will probably be deleted or ignored since I'm not really satisfied with where they were going. This one, however, will PROBABLY be continued regularly and with gusto, since I've suddenly found myself with time on my hands, excluding finals and such. I'd also like to attribute some of the ideas in this story to Scotticus012276's story **"My Daughter Chrysalis", **as it inspired me in some way or another and I really liked the ideas about changelings he made up. Go check his story out! )

_[Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except for any made-up characters. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro corporation and The HUB.]_

"It's high time that we end this charade, Celestia."  
A figure stood, cloaked in black and bathed in moonlight as the wind blew around a standoff between the aforementioned and two idle sentinels; however, none looked too happy to be there. At one corner of the tall, junoesque spire that resided on the top of the lookout tower looming over Canterlot castle, stood the Princess of the Sun, Celestia of Equestria. At her side, an opposite figure, yet Celestia was to her likeness: Princess Luna, Mistress of the Night. At their heads stood a tall, timeless bell that tolled with cacophonous vigor, assuring the hour was indeed midnight, and below it was a clock planted in the floor, encased in somewhat fragile-looking glass, domed around the top in a bubble, to shield it from the elements perhaps but providing little else in way of protection.

"_Do you really think this is necessary, Nettlefang? You are putting the lives of my ponies at stake, and I do not wish to think of what would happen should your plan fail._" The tallest of the Princesses spoke, drawing out her words with careful enunciation, as if the slightest wavering of her words would spell her downfall. She was nervous, of course, but she hid her emotions behind an age-old poker face, one that she had been holding up since the day she took power. Her sister took after this fact, her gaze only wavering in the slightest as pained worry surfaced, seemingly directed at the figure before the two of them. "_Surely you can rethink this, find another way..._" Her words trailed off as she realized the figure would not stand for reason.

"_No, I must do this. It's been a long time coming and unfortunately, I've failed my mission. However, the same cannot be said for myself._" The figure spoke cryptic words, his mouth revealing a set of jagged teeth, fit perhaps for the siphoning of something. "_I must complete this mission at any cost, and even though I've failed now, I can't fail again._" Luna stepped forth, her dark eyes glinting in the pale, silver moonlight as her stars danced around with glee overhead. "_Come now, you know that if you go back all of us will perish. Even your beloved Queen would come to an end._" He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it over, before tossing a hoof aside and tussling his bedraggled cape. "_Then I would do well to remember that consequence when I return._"

The figure stepped forward, lifting the cloak off of his head to reveal a long, crimson mane and a jagged horn, which began to glow a bright orange as he continued to trot forward, stopping at the edge of the dome-shaped clock and lifting his hoof. At this moment, several things happened: A spell went off, and a cyclone was suddenly summoned and began to encircle the three entities, swirling clouds billowing overhead. A hoof came down on the dome, shattering it and stopping the rapidly spinning hands on a set of choice numerals. A jolt of lightning struck down on the lone figure, having been deserted after the clock had been smashed, and a loud "pop" resounded as the world began shifting and heaving. Several images flashed by, somewhere, and voices played throughout the emptiness of space, as there was no longer a planet to hear them on.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Mommy, do you think I'm special?" A small changeling foal appeared, having freshly emerged from his pod and still dripping with slime. A gentle chuckle was heard, followed by the disjointed humming of a changeling Queen as a hoof began wiping the slime off of the poor little colt. "Of course you are, my little changeling. You're very important to mommy, and I think you might just be the key to something I've been trying to solve for eons." Tilting his head, the foal pursed his lips in thought and tapped on his horn. "What's that, momma?" The Queen simply laughed, her wings buzzing in amusement as she bent down and kissed his muzzle. "A peace between my changelings and her ponies."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

The sinister echoing of screams could be heard as a silhouette began to descend a long, deary flight of stairs. The dungeon was never a fun place to go, but this was on important business and he couldn't help going in here. Hugging his cloak tightly to his frame, the figure began once again his descent. The walls seemed to breathe here, pulsating with the cocoons of many different ponies. Conversions took place here, and as frightening as they were, they were sometimes necessary, although seldom used regularly. Conversions were simply a way of regulating the changeling population should too many die or go rogue. More and more changelings seemed to be going rogue these days, he noticed. Whether they joined another hive or simply wanted to go off on their own, they were increasing in number and the havoc they wreaked was never at a standstill. Already, a rogue queen had gone and invaded Canterlot, and managed to get her and her entire hive wiped out. It seemed to be commonplace nowadays, just as much as feuds between hives. There was a standstill in the forward movement of changelings, and he was eager to change this. Trotting down the dark hall, the stench of fermented slime and ichor wafting its way through his nose, he made an abrupt turn and started down a long, winding passage. Changeling hives could go on for miles, the serpentine bends of the tunnels dug with escape and evasion in mind, so almost every part of the hive was underground somewhere. However, due to changelings' acute senses, it wasn't too difficult to navigate through the network of caves and crevices, and since the Queen's hive mind seemed to branch out to every member of the hive, the collective knowledge of where to go always seemed there.

"Finally..." Whispered the figure. Trotting over to a changeling guard, who quickly gave him a salute, he explained his business and was escorted through the dungeon and into a room with a sole light fixture at the top. The changelings that accompanied him quickly took their leave and left him in the room. At the center, however, there was another, a portly changeling who seemed to glare at him with ill intent and spoke with malice.  
"So, you're the one they sent down here this time. I've already told her, I'm not telling anyone anything! This is absurd, I have things to-" He was cut off and abruptly slapped in the face, the stray hoof catching him off-guard and wiping all the maliciousness from his face, replacing it with fear and uncertainty. "I'm sure none of the others have been rough with you. Sometimes it takes that sort of thing to get what you want.", the changeling plainly stated. "Now, you're going to tell me _**exactly **_what I want to hear, and you'll be free. Understood?" The pompous equine simply nodded in agreement. The changeling took a breath and spoke. "Now, how do I find _'The Night Mistress'_?"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Deep, flamboyant panting could be heard as the sounds of hurried hoofsteps echoed throughout the night. A young unicorn mare, barely past the cusp of fillyhood, was making haste throughout a dark, mysterious forest, which seemed to encompass fear itself. Trees shook, leaves rattled, and beasts howled in the dark of midnight, forming the magnanimous helping of nightmarish ideas that currently ran through the young mare's head. She was scared, shivering even, but she was on her way to investigate an urgent matter, something that her beloved princess even was reluctant to tell her about. As she raced through the forest, she finally arrived at her destination. A massive library loomed overhead, surrounded by thick brush and dense nettle, making it seemingly impossible to navigate to; however, she had been there before, and it was actually pretty easy getting there now. Ignoring her unease, she slowly unhinged the lock to the gate that guarded the ancient building and pressed her way inside, shivering as chills ran down her spine; she surely didn't intend to stay for long. The inside of the building was massive, and there was a thick coating of dust on everything, coupled with cobwebs and the dripping of water somewhere unknown. Keeping her urgency in mind, the unicorn began roaming the halls of the decrepit literary sanctuary, waving her head to and fro seemingly searching for something. With a gasp of triumph, the mare ran forward and pressed her hoof against a particularly heavy tome, dragging it out with her magic and dusting off the cover before reading its title aloud. "_**The Night Mistress: Tales of a Changeling Ancient."**_

_** oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

With a gentle stroke of her mane, a timeless figure stood vigil over the outcrop of a bluff far beyond the spires of Canterlot. Her ancient eyes surveyed the landscape, settling on the view of so many ponies darting about the grounds, going about business without a care in the world. It disgusted her. Settling into a comfortable position, the 'alicorn' ruffled one of her numerous wings, cracking a telling sneer as she began to speak. "_So, he thinks she can bring peace, does he? Does he not know that such will never work, and as long as these __**ponies**__ exist my darling offspring will never be accepted in this world... Truly, he is just as much of a foal as his mother." _Her thoughts drifted to the Queen she had cast out so long ago, her blatant disobedience to the rest of her followers giving the elder changeling means of dispelling her from the hive-mind, and ultimately severing her ties from the group as a whole. Without her connection, she could never be fully recognized as a member of her race again, and was technically ostracized from any of the main hives. However, in spite of this, she STILL planned disobedience against her elder. The Queen had been droning on for this 'peace' she spoke of, even going so far as to give her first hatchling means of associating with the pony princesses directly, which infuriated her to no end. He had also been, according to her scouts, attempting to contact her and reason with her for whatever reason, since that was undoubtedly never going to happen and, if by chance it did she would kill him immediately. Simply thinking about such insubordination made her absolutely livid. Gazing down upon the castle once more, she stood up and simply chuckled darkly to herself. If he wanted peace, oh, they would have it. But first, they would have _**war...**_

( SO! Give me thoughts and ideas in the way of reviews, if you like, and forgive any grammar errors and spelling mistakes, if you don't mind. Something important to note is that anything that is in-between these [=====] is a take from a different perspective, and may or may not be occurring when the major parts of the story are occurring. Trust me, it'll make sense in due time. Until then, see you later!)


	2. Chapter 2

**Turning over a new hoof**

(A/N: Well, I'm just throwing these out here like crazy! It helps to have inspiration though, and I started writing this knowing pretty much where I wanted to take this. I just hope it lifts off as much as I want it to. I guess only time will tell.) 

_[Disclaimer, yet again. I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and only own any characters I create.]_

_[I really don't know why we do this.]_

"Nettlefang, Queen Chrysalis has requested to see you." A groan sounded through the room and, along with a few bangs and thuds, hoofsteps were eventually heard as the door to his room was opened with gusto, albeit unhappily. "Geez, what does that old windbag want now?" His blatant disrespect was reflected through the pained expressions of the Changeling guards, but they said nothing of it. "Queen Chrysalis requests to see you on behalf of ambassadorial duties regarding the Celestial Empire. It should also be noted that she intends to have you take leave for an unbeknownst amount of time, and it would be best you packed your things." A louder groan than before sounded at this, and he mentally kicked the Queen for her haste, which was returned twofold to his displeasure, giving him a splitting headache and a chiding "_Tsk, tsk, tsk_" that infuriated him to no end. Placing a hoof on his head, the young changeling gestured for the guards to leave. However, they stood their ground, looking amongst themselves. "Nettlefang... We've orders to stay here and accompany you to mother's chambers." Rolling his eyes, Nettlefang proceeded to trot back into his cell (though not the cell you're thinking of) and assembling a shoddy collection of belongings. Being a changeling, there wasn't much of anything in his "cell", which was a rough representation of a personal room within the hives of changeling order, and seeing as he was short on supplies to pack, he gazed back at the guards, who were still standing vigil at the entrance of the room, and made well to turn his back to them before making his way to his cocoon. Reaching a tentative hoof inside the thin, membrane flaps of his pod, he retrieved a peculiar looking item: a small clock with a chain attached, decorated in vain embellishments and engraved with the name "ŃǫX͡ M͏aT̕r̶I͜s", which translated roughly to "_The Night Mistress", _ever elusive and old as time itself. He shuddered to think of events that had transpired prior to looting this treasure, but in their collective exile they found many freedoms they didn't really get under her rule. Thus, they were still strong and morale was high. Realization dawned that Nettlefang had become lost in though, and he quickly strung the pocket watch around his neck before trotting over to the door, tossing his bag out and into one of the many changeling tunnels that led back to the First Atrium, which connected to every other changeling burrowing. "All right, all right. Let's just go before she has an aneurysm."

Starting down the corridor, led along by the two changeling behemoths (we'll elaborate on that in a second), Nettlefang began gazing around the narrow corridor that led back to the surface. They were sleek, slime coated walls that served to insulate the freezing temperatures that sometimes drifted down the halls. Changeling communities, which were communal hive stems that branched off from the main hive but still resided within the hive itself, were notoriously chilly during the Equestrian winters, and even with the slime sometimes it was best to nest with hive-mates during the wee hours of the night. It was a natural substance manufactured by changeling matrons, and though some were called mothers really all of them were related, as after the Queen was impregnated by designated insemination drones, she laid her eggs and hatched almost every changeling in the hive to date. So, essentially, the Queen could be referred to as the mother of all the changelings in her hive, save for the few she took when she was cast into exile. After a certain falling out with the-  
"We're here."

Snapping from his thoughts, the youngling turned his attention to the massive carapacian gate that adorned the chamber of the Queen; she always did express her prodigal nature. Sighing inwardly, as he knew this was going to be a time consuming and overall painful venture, Nettlefang trotted up to the grate that stood in front of the entrance, and began making a series of clicks, chirps and a buzz of his wings, which was the unspoken language of the changelings. His display seemed to satisfy the grate as the gate began to open and a gust of air blew from the billowing cavern. This was definitely not going to be fun. Sucking up his ill sentiments, Nettlefang dismissed the guards before taking a gulp and preparing to make the journey down into the Queen's domain...

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"_While not much is known about the one known as the "Night Mistress", the mother of all Changelings, it is speculated that she has been around nearly as long as time itself, and that during the formation of the Earth she also formed the shadows and the darkness of the world, and was cast out for her creation, which she hid in for all eternity, eventually hatching the ones we call "Changelings." Regarding this, there is much controversy and some say that the Night Mistress may even be just a foal's tale, it still begs the question:_  
_ Where did Changelings come from?_

** oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Gulping down a breath of fresh air, Nettlefang continued his voyage down the perilous slope he was currently descending. Jeez, why the hell did she have to live so far down? It was obvious that she didn't want just any old Changeling walking down here but come on! Unsettled by her lack of sensibilities, the young changeling continued his descent until reaching a crossroads. Normally, anyling would be confused by this and often many have turned back before receiving proper direction, but he'd been called here before on certain business errands and, as such, he was quite informed as to where he was supposed to be going. Pressing on, he quickly about-faced, remembering something important. He quickly ran to the far side wall, pressing his hoof around the area in search of something. The rock face before him was old and barren, dark stalactites coating the ceiling and little calcified droplets sounding every now and then. Giving a glance backwards, he continued his ministrations until he found what he was looking for. A small indentation in the large, imposing rock face offered little resistance as he pressed his hoof against it and dropped back a little. With a tearing echo, the surface heaved with an earthy roar as a boulder within the rock moved away, dropping down into the ground. This was the part that always got him though. It was more than a little nerve-wracking attempting to jump in here at just the right time.

It was a trapping mechanism, meant to catch the average passerby off-guard and scare them back to the surface. Or well, as close to the surface you can get in the hive. He had been through it before, of course, but never really liked undergoing the complicated process. Readying himself, the changeling buzzed his wings a few times and licked his fangs before charging into the hole, and not a moment too soon as shortly after he tucked in and rolled across the chilling stone floor the boulder had risen back up and set into place. Relieved that he'd made it this far without forgetting, Nettlefang heaved a sigh and picked himself up; however, it would seem that something was in his way: something big, black, and glistening with a sticky sheen. His eyes trailed upward and he found himself face-to-face with...

"_**BOO!"**_

Jumping back a little, Nettlefang dispelled the magical burst charged in his jagged horn and glared at the Changeling Queen. Chrysalis simply laughed at him, her disjointed voice thrumming through the cavern. It was noticeably less quiet now, as the squirming of little hatchlings could be heard in all directions. Out of the corner of his eye, a Changeling larvae scuttled across the floor.

"_**So, I see you've finally decided to answer my summons, Nettlefang. You of all changelings should know I don't like to be kept waiting."**_ His snout quivered in disgust and he briefly considered leaving before RE-considering and taking a seat. "So, _dear mother_, explain exactly what it is you want me to do. I think I have an idea but consider it invalid against your infallible ken." The Queen scoffed at this, rolling her eyes before settling down on a lavish ottoman. The whole room hummed an earthly green, a long tendril of ivy creeping through the floor like a small soldier. There were small slime pods attached to the walls, along with cocoons filled with dozens of captured ponies littering the ceiling; she was lucky if she got any ceiling space at all. Despite her belligerent attitude, she still cared about her Changelings and often took in hatchlings that weren't lucky enough to have a custodian to watch over them in their communal hatcheries. The Changeling hives were often made up of small communities of Changelings, all governed individually by leaders or "Overseers", who all in turn answered directly to the Queen. Of course, since the overwhelming hive-mind was omnipresent, the lesser Changelings had just enough time to talk to the Queen as the leaders, though often for different reasons. Because of this, Changeling hives are usually very codependent and the sense of teamwork and coordination associated with Changelings is unmatched.

"_**So, I would like to discuss a proposal with you, my little Changeling. It involves a more… subtle approach, more than what we are known for, at least." **_She elaborated, settling her head on her hooves and generally displaying herself in a very casual manner. Since he was directly related to her, he seemed not to be affected by her wiles and manipulation, but if he were any other stallion he might have trouble keeping himself from giving her a once-over. "Subtle? What are you talking about? We are the very DEFINITION of subtle. I'm not sure we can be any more-" He was quickly cut off by the Queen's hoof, which roughly prodded against his muzzle. "_**LET ME FINISH. As I was saying, we'll need a more subtle approach, since here lately rogue Queens have been invading various areas without rhyme or reason. Not disregarding my attempt, of course…" **_Nettlefang shuddered in remembrance as he thought about the Changeling invasion of Canterlot, a crusade Chrysalis had engaged in not only a year ago. She thought it wise to attempt to take over Canterlot, as after her exile from the _Night Mistress' _hive-mind she was completely cut off from the shared food supply of emotion. Occasionally, emotion could be transferred over mental links, such as the ones all Changelings shared, but it took a powerful magic user to tap into such a thing. Queen Chrysalis had, as she had said before, been practicing such a thing for generations before she was finally booted from the link and cast out on her own for pursuing a peaceful solution to the Equestrian threat. Long before Changeling invasions, the ponies sought to exterminate the "_Fanged Ponies of the Forest_" and had obtained a bad reputation for being blood-sucking killers. Ironically, she was forced to fight the very being she garnered for peace with, and that had also crippled their chances of obtaining peace. '_Come to think of it, that might be why she called me here…'_ thought Nettlefang. "_**I'm going to send you an escort to as far as the Everfree-Ponyville border, and from there you'll take the locomotive to Canterlot. From then on, you're to assume a disguise of your choice, one of the three pony races, and identify as something Equestrian. I don't know the specifics, just pick something appealing." **_Nettlefang grunted at this, imagining himself a pony. He despised the creatures, truthfully, and was only eager to seek peace due to influence of the Queen. "_**ANYWAY. You're to mingle with the ponies, become like them in a sense, and find some way to Celestia or Luna. I don't care which one, nor do I care the method you prefer to use, as long as it's efficient and does not blow your cover. Our invasion is still fresh in their minds, trust me, so if you drop your disguise or are found out for even a second, our plans will be nothing but dust in the wind." **_He thought for a moment. "So, BASICALLY what you're telling me to do is become a pony for the next month or so, associate with other ponies and their Equestrian rabble, and find a way to gain Celestia's trust enough to be able to reveal myself and our plans?" He stated incredulously. Nettlefang wasn't particularly hopeful for this plan to come to fruition, but if Chrysalis thought it would work then he SUPPOSED it wasn't that big of a deal. Sighing inwardly, the young Changeling relented. "Okay, okay. I'll do it." "_**Good. I wouldn't expect anything less of mother's little Changeling" **_His ears drew back and he winced at the affectionate nickname. Due to being the firstborn of her first incubation, Chrysalis often treated Nettlefang perhaps a bit more affectionately than the others. "I never asked for this…" _**"Oh, hush. I'd like you to depart immediately. You're free to say your goodbyes and such, but I'll be readying the escort to leave at sundown. This plan relies on you, so I don't expect you to fail." **_Nettlefang straightened up, stretching his wings and flicking his ears. "Yeah, yeah. I'll get to it." Chrysalis leaned forward and kissed his snout, eliciting an embarrassing stammer out of him, though he didn't manage any__actual words.  
_**"Be safe." **_ She said, offering one final goodbye before easing him away. Nettlefang took the hint and brought himself up as well, the green flush of his cheeks fading as he started towards the door, a flurry of thoughts racing through his head, both relevant and irrelevant; however, one big one seemed to stick out.

"Which Princess do I choose?"  
**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

A tall figure stood at attention, gazing down from the balcony of Canterlot Castle with the grace of a true ruler and the kindness of one as well. The hustle and bustle of the busy ponies below brought a timeless smile to her face, knowing that they all were occupying themselves with making the most out of her precious daylight. The sight warmed her heart almost as much as the sun warmed theirs, and she let out a small sigh before turning around to return to her duties. As the ruler of Equestria, it took a lot out of her to maintain sovereign command over the nation, and as much as she thought about it, she wasn't quite sure she could hand a bit of her responsibilities to her dear sister, Luna. Having freshly returned from her thousand-year banishment on the moon only a few months ago, it seemed as though Celestia would have to hold off offering her a place back on the throne. Of course, it wasn't because she thought her sister incapable; she'd ruled before without issue. The fact of the matter was, however, that Luna was still a bit resentful of her elder sister. She hadn't thought before, but Luna seemed to resent her sister more and more, just as she had before her banishment. With every little snippet of conversation they had, she seemed to be more and more evasive and, accompanied with an odd tinge of bright jade in her eyes at random intervals, it seemed as though she never wanted to be around Celestia.

Reflecting on this thought, the mare in question knocked at the door. "…Tia? Ist thou here?" Luna's head peered cautiously around the door, her mane flowing in unseen wind as she dipped her head a bit at the sight of her sister.

"Luna, what are you hiding for? You're welcome to come in, dear sister." Celestia said, her soft words spoken in hopes of coaxing the young mare into her room.

"Oh, um… Nary a reason, sister. Thine presence is welcomed. I've just been feeling under the weather lately." Luna gave a pitiful little cough, pressing her hoof to her mouth as she looked to Celestia for pity. 

"Well..." The elder sister considered, giving the proposal thought. She suspected it was much more than that, but she was willing to let it slide for her sake. "All right, I suppose that's reasonable."

The younger sister put on a soft smile, silently thanking Celestia for her understanding. She timidly approached her, feeling more than a little sorry for her terseness, and mid-way broke out in a full gallop, pouncing into her elder sister's waiting hooves. "Thank you, sister. I assure you, 'twas nothing to concern yourself about. Dost thou not think it more important to enjoy our time together?"

"Yes, sister. After all these years... I've missed you." Celestia said, enjoying the warm feeling of her younger sister's embrace, tenderling rubbing her forelegs along her back.

"Of course. I've missed thou as well, dear sister, and nothing will ever drive us apart again." 

As she said this, the entirety of Luna's eyes flashed a dazzling neon green before returning to their original hue.

"_Nothing at all..."_

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

(A/N: So! Chapter two is up. I apologize about the weird updates, but I forgot how weird Fanfiction's interface was to work with. In any case, I've got new dividers now, and such, so review if you like or whatever you feel necessary. Your views keep me going. Until the next update!) 


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